Review: Jamie McLoughlin avoids the bullets (and the butterfly) in SDC's Murdered to Death

It’s murder on the stage floor in this Christie mystery spoof

Paul Wikinson (right) as Inspector Pratt with Trudi Hirsch as Joan Maple and Nathan Colman as Constable Tomkins in Murdered to Death. Photo by Fletcherhill Photography

They were a hardy lot in 1930s society Britain.

Art fraud, extra-marital affairs, murder. You could throw whatever you like at those people in their country piles and their upper lips remained steadfast and resolute.

Chuck an unannounced, unseasonal butterfly into the mix and their resolve becomes ever steelier.

Luckily, such flappers were easily handled in pre-war Blighty. Even though the unexpected stage invasion was at the centre of most of the post-show conversations (certainly on my train home), the cast of the Adrian Roberts-directed Murdered to Death were correct to brush aside this brash interloper at every opportunity.

We can at least be thankful that the insect determined to become a permanent fixture on the stage (and costumes) of this likeable murder mystery spoof had the decency to wear black as death and devilment was all over the place.

Peter Gordon’s script takes all the recognisable elements of a Christie-esque plot and gives them an affectionate ribbing, most obviously in the shape of Miss Joan Maple (a spot-on portrayal by Trudi Hirsch, right down to the walk). This is the seemingly meek, elderly spinster who, her fellow characters note, has a habit of turning up in places where people get bumped off.

Things don’t change in the home of Mildred (Tracey Batchelor) who lives with her niece and heir Dorothy (Ceri Watkins). It’s difficult to review a murder mystery without giving too much of the plot away but for anyone who has tickets for the rest of the run, make the most of Batchelor’s fine performance as, umm, you may not see much of her in the second act.

Mildred has been getting mischievous with Colonel Craddock (a suitably plummy Stephen Pritchard who relishes the opportunities the ‘what ho, old girl’ style character gives him) for much of his 35-year marriage to Margaret (Helen Pritchard). They are both guests at her smashing bash where the guest list also includes the well-at-heel Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington (Catherine Leight) and French art dealer Pierre Marceau (Nick Lloyd). Inevitably, it is only after Miss Maple invites herself to dinner that somebody starts picking people off.

Much of the comedy emanates from Maple, the droll, down-at-heel butler Bunting (Simon Hawkins in a blend of Stephen Fry’s Jeeves and Douglas Adams’ Marvin the Paranoid Android) and the tour-de-force relationship between Scotland Yard’s finest, Constable Tomkins (Nathan Colman) and Inspector Pratt (Paul Wilkinson).

It’s almost a pity that we had to wait for a murder before these two arrived. The way Wilkinson took a complex set of lines full of stumbling, Malapropisms and contextual mix-ups then combined it with a physical performance stuffed full of (ahem) pratfalls to portray a man basically panicking his way through a major crime investigation makes for the greatest performance I’ve seen from the SDC in the near-10 years I’ve been enjoying their shows. He even mouthed an ad-lib about shooting a certain butterfly.

The performance brings to mind a combination of Basil Fawlty in full flight against polite German guests, Peter Sellers at the height of his Clouseau powers and Frank Spencer at his most clumsy. There’s plenty of Paul Wilkinson’s own creation in there too.

Pratt’s hapless methods of unmasking the killer shows Tomkins up as the true brains behind the partnership and Colman’s contained ‘don’t upset the boss - whatever happens’ performance will have had some members of the audience wanting to adopt him.

I did spot the killer/s but I won’t reveal their identity (or identities?). It all comes together rather neatly on Syd Coley’s impressive wood-panelled sitting room set and James Hughes-Alty’s wardrobe team also deserve a mention, as does Alan Gosling for the perfectly-timed lighting effects.

January nights can be long and dull but this was one of the most entertaining I have spent in a long time. I’d wager the rest of the audience would agree.

Just don’t be surprised if you turn up to a later show in the run and find the cast equipped with butterfly nets.

The Editor

Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown is the editor of the Southport Visiter, Midweek Visiter, Formby Times, Ormskirk Advertiser, Skelmersdale Advertiser, and the Crosby Herald. Andrew was born and bred in Southport - a true Sandgrounder. Andrew was one of the founders of Southport's Charity Fun Fest.